Tag: Ruth Starke

Captain Congo and his loyal offsider, Pug are back! This time, they’re off to the remote reaches of the Canadian Klondike gold fields, to sort out what’s scaring the miners away. But first they have to get there.

Captain Congo and his loyal offsider, Pug are back! This time, they’re off to the remote reaches of the Canadian Klondike gold fields, to sort out what’s scaring the miners away. But first they have to get there. It’s wilder than the wild west and the locals are very suspicious of strangers. They’re also quite superstitious. There’re rumours about monsters and ghosts. There is danger and adventure for the duo as the landscape and treachery challenge their progress. But never fear, when Captain Congo and Pug are near, the goodies will win the day! (even if poor old Pug, in the best tradition of offsiders, is tossed, pummelled, terrified and trussed before the day is won). Endpapers show a map of the location of their adventures.

Captain Congo and the Klondike Gold is a third outing for Ruth Starke and Greg Holfield in this graphic novel series. The main characters are animals: Captain Congo a large (lowland?) gorilla, and Pug a small penguin. They move freely and unremarked in each adventure, a lovely relationship that has Captain Congo uttering Sherlock Holmes-like observations, and Pug always playing catch-up. The adventures are wonderfully wild and liberally sprinkled with humour. This series will attract a similar readership to Asterix and Tin Tin, and will be retained in the bookshelves long after other books have been outgrown. Reluctant readers will love the graphic novel format. Recommended for upper-primary, early-secondary and reluctant readers. And ahem grown-up fans of the graphic novel format.

When I got up, a note from my mother was on the fridge, as per usual. It said, ‘Some of us have to work, Hailee. What about you? You have now been unemployed for 17 days.’ She has posted a version of this note every day since school broke up. Typical of her to count the week-ends. The only way to shut her up is to apply for one of the easiest-to-get jobs around. Later, I can look for something more challenging and satisfying.

Hailee Moxie is having a gap year. She is going to work and save up for a trip to Asia, before deciding if she wants to go to Uni or do something better. There are plenty of jobs out there for school leavers – all she has to do is apply for one. But soon, Hailee is discovering that jobs aren’t so easy to come by, and (sometimes) even harder to keep. With her Escape to Asia account holding a mere $129.65, Hailee needs to get a job. Fast.

Fill Out This Application and Wait Over There is a funny diary format account of life at the bottom of the job market heap. Fresh out of school, Hailee learns the hard way that applying for jobs is tough, and that working in low paid jobs , with few perks, is even tougher. At the same time she navigates the minefield of friendships and family relationships.

Hailee is a caustic observer of the world around her, making scathing observations about workmates, supervisors, uniforms and more. Whilst this is funny, at times it also shows her lack of awareness of the real world, allowing readers to compare Hailee’s attitudes with their own experiences and with reality.

‘Glad to see you’ve regained your appetite, my friend.
It hasn’t been the same since Africa.’
‘Have more crème caramel, Monsieur Pug, to build up your strength. Who knows when you and the Captain will be off again.’
‘Soon, I hope’ There’s nothing like the call to adventure, eh Pug?’

Captain Congo, with the help of his not-quite-so-intrepid offsider Pug, solves mysteries. Their first adventure was set in Africa and this new call takes the pair to India. They have been asked to investigate the sudden death of the Maharaja. Plans are already underway for the installing of his successor. Although the Maharaja had left information about his successor, not everyone is happy with his choice. Rumours abound. Meanwhile, Captain Congo and Pug (now cunningly – if reluctantly – disguised as a woman) are to infiltrate the palace and see if they can discover what happened to the old Maharaja. They will also investigate the rumours surrounding the succession. Captain Congo and the Maharaja’s Monkey is a large format, hard back, full colour graphic novel in the style of ‘Asterix’ and ‘Tintin’.

Captain Congo and the Maharaja’s Monkeyis an adventure in grand style. Only Captain Congo, a gorilla, Pug, a penguin, and Captain Congo’s housekeeper are anthropomorphic, with the rest of the ‘cast’ taking human form. The humans accept Captain Congo as equals, with the deputy chief minister being beguiled by the in-disguise Pug. There is plenty of humour here, along with the cracking-pace adventure. Captain Congo plays it straight, although if 2D eyes could twinkle, his would! He is very worldly, has many friends and connections and speaks many unexpected languages. Pug is the reluctant sidekick, compelled to shine in roles he would not choose. Their combination of detective work, costumery and luck win the day so Captain Congo and Pug can return to their island home. Recommended for mid-primary and beyond.

What is Thorpey doing? Is there something wrong?
Instead of swimming around, he stays in one spot.
He floats on his back. He leans to one side.

When the narrator of this story is given a goldfish for his birthday, he’s initially unimpressed, but as he gets to know the fish (who he names Thorpey) he realises that goldfish are pretty cool. It isn’t long before he thinks Thorpey is the best pet ever. So when Thorpey stops swimming and starts lying on the bottom of the tank, the boy is worried. What can be wrong with Thorpey, and is there any way of fixing him?

Thorpey is a short chapter book for beginning readers, part of the new Mates series from Omnibus books. With a simple storyline, the support of full colour illustrations on every page, and a high interest plot line, Thorpey is a mystery story which readers will enjoy trying to solve.

‘If I’m not mistaken, a whiff of Africa on the breeze this morning, Pug.’
‘I thought it was grilled sardines.’
‘Not a cloud on the horizon.’
‘There is something on the horizon, Captain, look!’

Captain Congo and his offsider, Pug, are off on an African adventure, on behalf of ‘The Agency’. Their mission is to find a missing person, Professor Perky, last seen in Abyssinia. The pair set off, first boarding an African steamer. They are warned the cabin is a little rough. Pug is concerned about his bedding and the food, but Captain Congo takes it all in his stride. They arrive in Soddhu and search for clues and transport for the next stage of their journey. They discover the purpose of Perky’s expedition and set off into the jungle. After an unplanned swim with the crocodiles, they abandon their meandering and begin to search in earnest. It’s not long before they reach a village, and learn the fate of Professor Perky.

Captain Congo and the Crocodile King is a wonderfully exciting tale, in the style of the ‘grand adventure’ made popular by the Tin Tin series and also by the Asterix books. The main characters are clothed animals (gorilla and penguin), but the rest of the cast are human or animals-behaving-as-animals (particularly the mosquitoes. There is a delightfully wicked tongue-in-cheek quality to both the writing and the illustrations. Captain Congo is a wise and canny hero, while Pug does some of the ‘grunt’ work. He makes it clear that he’d prefer an adventure in a colder climate. Captain Congo and the Crocodile is a large format hardback, similar in size to Tin Tin books. Like these stories, ‘Captain Congo and the Crocodile King’ is sure to find a broad readership. The front cover features the heroes battling a very large crocodile and is sure to entice mid-primary readers. It would also suit less confident older readers. Recommended for those who enjoyed Tin Tin and Asterix, and for readers new to the genre.

It made Andy feel funny inside to say – even to himself – ‘my grandmother’, ‘my aunt’, ‘my cousins’, and to see them all there in front of him. He looked to the very back of the group to see who was considered the least important family member. She wasn’t tall, so he didn’t see her until somebody moved. She had short hair and a fringe down to her eyebrows. There was a sullen expression on her small triangular face, or maybe she was just bored.

When Andy’s father, a former refugee, returns for a visit to Vietnam after twenty years, Andy goes with him. He is interested to see his father’s country and meet his relatives – but he also feels that it isn’t his country. He is Australian.

Andy isn’t too sure he likes his newfound family, either. They are rude, fighting over the gifts Andy and his father have brought, and the family restaurant Andy has heard so much about is a joke. The thing Andy finds hardest to accept is that not everyone is treated equally. His cousin Minh seems to do most of the work, but is the last to eat and receives nothing – not even respect – for her efforts. Andy is determined to change things.

Noodle Pie is an often humorous but also very insightful look into family relationships, cultural differences and the experiences of refugees. As Andy tries to make sense of his extended family’s way of life, he also learns about his father’s past, and gains a greater understanding of why things are as they are, both at home and here in Vietnam.